Lavoirs, Wells & Pumps

The National Trust for Jersey looks after 20 Lavoirs, Wells and Public Pumps, which can be found all around the island. The Trust owns some of them: the lavoir de La Rue des Prés, La Fontaine St Martin, the well-heads of Le Don Baudins and at Le Jardin de la Croix de la Bataille.


By arrangement with the Parishes and individual owners, the Trust also runs a programme under which it accepts responsibility for the care and maintenance of other lavoirs, wells and public pumps, which would otherwise fall into disrepair.

Lavoirs

Most existing lavoirs in Jersey date from the 18th and 19th centuries, although it is believed that the communal lavoirs may date from an earlier period. They were constructed in stone, and the syllabic initials of the owner(s) and the year of construction can often be found incised on the stone at the back of the lavoir. Many local people still call them douets a laver, although in official documents they are referred to as lavoirs. (More …)

Wells

Wells can either be inserted in a house’s external wall or stand alone. Some of the latter category bear a roof and are called well-heads. Most farms had well-heads in granite. These were flat topped, and not domed, as they often are in other countries, a further testimony to the strength of the granite which could span the well-head with one piece of stone.

Unless specifically dated (e.g. 1788 for the Well-head at La Fortunée, adjacent to the lavoir), it is difficult to ascertain the age of them, and they may have been rebuilt many times on the same spot.

The Trust owns 2 well-heads: the first one (Don Renouf) is located in Grouville, rue de La Croix du Jardin de la Bataille and was donated by Mrs Gruchy in 1938; the second one (Don Baudains) is located in St Clement, on the Inner Road, and was donated by Centenier Harry Baudains in 1982.

Pumps

The public pumps that are maintained by the Trust are currently not in use. Several were probably built around the end of the 19th century (e.g. Haut Le Marais), and have iron-forged pumping mechanisms inserted in the granite construction (e.g. Le Mont Pinel). Maintenance consists of ensuring that these pumps are free of vegetation, that stones remain correctly fitted, and repainting them when necessary.

Pumps are maintained on behalf of St. Clement’s Parish (Le Grand Pré); St. Lawrence’s Parish (Avranche); St. Ouen’s Parish (Haut le Marais, Le Mont de la Grève de Lecq, Le Mont Pinel, Sous le Chene, La Villaise, Ville au Neveu).